ICC sleuths ‘lured witness with cash’

Deputy President William Ruto’s lawyers Monday presented phone transcripts and emails showing investigators at The Hague pleading with a key witness not to drop out.

One of the International Criminal Court investigators promised that “financial difficulties” facing the witness would be sorted out by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).

He told him that the OTP could not afford to lose him as he was a key witness.

Mr Ruto’s lawyer, Ms Shyamala Alagendra, also read out an email sent by the witness’s wife on August 30, 2013, in which she requests the Victims and Witnesses Unit (VWU) to send money for rent and subsistence.

In its reply, the unit says it is under instruction not to send money either to the witness or the spouse.

The wife then gets into contact with the OTP, asking them to confirm whether the funds requested should be sent.

Although the OTP’s reply in the transcript is redacted, the wife, apparently after being assured of support by the OTP, sent an SMS to the VWU, saying: “Sorry for the text. Bye-bye forever. You have been too good to us. God bless you.”

SIGNED AFFIDAVIT

Ms Alagendra said on the same day the witness signed an affidavit in Nairobi, part of the prosecutor’s pile of evidence, in which he implicates Mr Ruto for having played a role in the 2008 post-election violence.

“Did you not sign the affidavit on the same day you contacted the Office of the Prosecutor?” she asked.

The witness said he signed the affidavit a few days after he had direct communication with the ICC investigators, in an August 29 phone conversation.

He said he could not speak on behalf of his wife as he was not the one involved in the conversation.

Witness P-0800 is one of the nine prosecution witnesses in the case against Mr Ruto and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang who recanted their evidence against the two but have been compelled by the court to give evidence.

However, Ms Alagendra said P-0800 made frantic efforts to reunite with the court as a witness. She said he was eventually reintroduced by another prosecution witness, and included in the ICC witness protection programme.

Mr Ruto’s defence team said the motivation of the witness was to win back allowances he had lost when he dropped out.

She also read out email conversations between the witness and ICC investigators in which he pleads to be sent some cash, at one point requesting Sh12,000 to clear mounting debts.

They were for house rent, among other expenses.